Toughest state budgets ahead

CLINTON--Education and jobs go hand-in-hand, according to two state legislators who spoke during a recent legislative forum at the Clinton Community Center.

Leean Tupper | leean.tupper@oakridger.com

CLINTON--Education and jobs go hand-in-hand, according to two state legislators who spoke during a recent legislative forum at the Clinton Community Center.

Those were just two of the topics discussed Monday by state Rep. John Ragan, an Oak Ridge Republican who was elected last year to represent District 33 in the Tennessee House of Representatives, and state Sen. Randy McNally, another Oak Ridge Republican and longtime state legislator.

The elected officials each gave brief overviews of discussions and potential actions taking place in Nashville.

"The job situation in our state is not good, but Anderson County has not fared as poorly as other counties," Ragan said.

As of March, Tennessee's unemployment rate was 9.5 percent, above the national average of 8.8 percent, according to the Tennessee Department of Labor and Workforce Development.

According to state figures, Anderson County's unemployment rate as of February was roughly 9.3 percent.

"Your piece of the pie -- jobs, commerce, business -- has a piece directly tied to it that you can influence and that's education," Ragan told those who gathered for the forum, hosted by the Anderson County Chamber of Commerce and sponsored by AT&T.

Ragan challenged the business leaders and officials at Monday's forum to get involved in local education through substitute teaching or speaking to students in the classroom about their business experiences.

He said the state must improve its education standings to help secure more investments from businesses that could bring more jobs.

McNally said the state is "still bumping along the bottom as far as the recovery is concerned."

He explained that the legislature is finalizing the state's revenue projections for the coming year, predicting that "this year's budget and the next will probably be our two toughest" because of uncertainties surrounding the federal budget, the costs of oil and crises in the Middle East, as well as the fact that the national housing market "is still in the tank."

However, McNally said Tennessee is doing better than other states in the nation.

"We have a lot of good things going for us, which will be great when the recovery kicks into a higher gear."

As for education, McNally said "we're not doing well," but legislators and education officials across Tennessee are committed to making changes.

Ragan, who said he and other legislators welcome feedback from constituents, urged that if voters make contact by email they do one thing -- in the subject line, write "District 33 constituent" (or the appropriate district for your legislator).

The freshman legislator -- who admitted he feels "like a mule at the Kentucky Derby. I'm just glad to be there to run." -- said he regularly receives "750 emails before breakfast each day" and he strives to respond to email from constituents before addressing other issues.

Leean Tupper can be contacted at (865) 220-5501.

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